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Welcome to the first edition of Alumni Links for the new academic year and a special welcome to our new first year students. This edition contains several notices on events including class reunions and events in the U.S. A new alumni database system was commissioned in July and the new system will greatly improve communications between the University and our alumni.

The Student Send Off Programme, where the Alumni Board and Student Services organise information sessions for new students and their parents, is taking place this week and next and is scheduled to have over 1,000 participants in various towns around the region including Sligo, Ennis, Castlebar, Donegal Town, Athlone and Galway City.

Congratulations to the incoming Chairman of the Alumni Board, John Loftus
BSc, 1977 HDip in Education 1978 on his election. Many thanks to the outgoing Chairman Mike Gaffney
BE 1985 and Vice Chairman, Eamonn Hegarty
BE 1976, LLB 1989 for their excellent stewardship of the Association in a very active year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Alumni Board who volunteer their time, enthusiasm and energy to build the links between the University and its alumni, through all its activities: Student Send Off, Career Connect, Reunions, Alumni Awards adjudications and with Galway University Foundation in its fundraising activities.

Graduations take place at the end of October, if you are attending the graduation of friends or relatives, be sure to drop by the Alumni Office. The Alumni Office extends good wishes to the graduands and looks forward to welcoming them as alumni.

My term as Vice President finishes at the end of August and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those alumni who contributed to the tremendous increase in activities over the last 4 years. In particular my thanks to the staff of the Alumni Office, JB Terrins, Emma Goode and Sheila Gorham for their hard work and dedication to all our alumni.

NUI Galway has created a special website to support the thousands of students accepting places at the University via the CAO. The ’Firstinfo’ Web site (
http://firstinfo.nuigalway.ie/) provides information on topics including accommodation and registration. In addition, the NUI Galway Alumni Association is hosting its ninth annual series of information evenings for parents and students in counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Westmeath.

At the evening sessions, NUI Galway Alumni Association Board Members and Students’ Union representatives will advise students on what to expect when arriving at NUI Galway and will answer any questions relating to university life. The topics covered will include Accommodation, Finance and the Students’ Assistance Fund, Safety, Careers, Counselling, Clubs and Societies, and the Students’ Union. Information evenings or ’Student Send-Offs’ will take place at 7pm in the following venues:

JB Terrins, Director of Alumni Relations at NUI Galway, says an information evening can prove a valuable introduction to the University: âFor many, this will be their first time leaving home, making it an exciting and anxious time for both students and parents. This is an ideal opportunity to get first-hand advice on those first days of term and become familiar with the University’s many student support services. It is also a chance to find out about the University’s 85 societies and 40 sport clubs, which are a great way to meet new people with similar interests.â

The Literary & Debating Society is hosting its Alumni Banquet on Friday evening, October 3rd in the Hotel Meyrick.
The Banquet hosted by the President, Dr. James Browne and the Auditor Dan Colley, will begin with a champagne reception at 6:30pm followed by a five course meal, Former Auditors Debate and music until the early hours with the Joe Brady Jazz Ensemble.

Tickets are available from the Society at a cost of €100. For more information on the event, please contact Dan Colley at 353 87 2032522 or Susan Treacy 353 87 7432245.

Medical Class of 1968 Reunion

Join former classmates at the Medical Class of 1968 Reunion taking place in the Ardilaun Hotel, Taylor's Hill, Galway on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th October. On the Friday night classmates will get together for an informal catch up at the bar followed by dinner in the Camilaun Restaurant, Ardilaun Hotel on Saturday evening at 8:15pm. If you require overnight accommodation please contact Sinead Dolan or Ann-Marie Mitchell at 353 (0)91 521433 or email
amitchelltheardilaunhotel.ie.

For further information please contact Dr David Lillis on
dflillisiol.ie.

The world-renowned Druid Theatre Company is on tour this Autumn in the United States (see schedule below). Galway University Foundation is supporting the tour and is inviting graduates to attend a special pre-show reception in
Berkeley and
Los Angeles. If you are living in or near San Francisco or Los Angeles and have not received a 'save-the-date’ notice as yet, please contact the Alumni Office so that your contacts can be updated and an invitation issued.

If you are a graduate interested in organising a get-together based around the Illinois, Washington DC and North Carolina shows then get in touch.

A Reunion for the Engineering Class of 1983 (and for all those who crossed paths with this group) will take place on the weekend of 3rd/4th October 2008. The Friday night will be spent at an informal gathering in Wards Hotel, Lower Salthill. The following night a Reunion Dinner will be held in the Ardilaun Hotel with music and craic. A major coup is planned to see the return to the disc deck by the one and only Big G (King of the Beach Hotel disco scene in the 70’s & 80’s). A variety of Saturday afternoon activities is also being scheduled. There has been great interest in this event already and a large number of the class are planning to attend. The committee would appreciate early commitment to ensure that the facilities are pitched at the right group size.
Come see our (very fun) website
http://www.ucgeng.com/.

The second annual Galway University Foundation Gala Dinner will take place on Tuesday, November 18th in the Metropolitan Club, One East 60th Street, New York City. The event begins at 6:30pm with cocktails followed by dinner. For further information please contact Sarah Kelly on +1 (347) 623-3866 or email
sarahekellyearthlink.net.

A group of graduates from the Class of 1978 met up at this year’s Reunion BBQ in June and had such a good time that we decided to form a committee and organise another event to take place in NUI Galway on Saturday November 22nd concentrating on graduates from 1978 & 1979. Thanks to the Alumni Office, we are arranging a lecture in one of the theatres with talks from some of our favourite lecturers & student characters from that period; a thematic ('College Life') photo exhibition; a session in the bar with music from a very special band of that era...

So if you remember- GIBS in Seapoint; Social Action Week; late night Toga Parties in Hazel Park; Terry Smith playing guitar outside the Claddagh Palace; Afternoon Coffee in 'Peggys'; discos at the 'Aula', 'Rivelinos', 'Beach' & 'International'; the 'Kelly & Taylor' Band in the King's Head; Boomtown Rats in 'Smokie Joes'; the disc jockeys known as Big G & the 'K-Tel Kids'; 'Fir Bolgs'; 'Mná Bolgs'; Cider flagons from 'Peter Michaels'; 'Garbage' mag; Lit 'n' Deb motions from the back-row; Lectures in the Latin Hall; U2 in Leisureland; Rag Ball; gigs in Teac Furbo; SU marches to Eyre Square; 'Blue Bottles' in the Library; 'Stickies', 'Trots' & Fine Gael's 'Young Tigers'; the furore over Rag Week Fund-Raising for the Family Planning Centre; 'Dick'; H-Block Protests; the showing of the banned 'Life of Brian' film in college; 'Opus Dei'; 'Campus Crusade'; 'Crusade for Satan'; Dolly Birds in the Skeff... t then you should be there!!!
Our website at
http://www.ucggrads7879ers.blogspot.com/ should refresh your memory of this very special in our lives
If interested please contact Brendan (Speedie) Smith at
bspeedieeircom.net

Almost 600 NUI Galway graduates returned to attend a special annual reunion over the weekend 6-8 June. The Alumni Office issued a worldwide invitation to the classes of 1958, 1968, 1978, 1983, 1988, and 1998 who attended UCG/NUI Galway. Highlights included a 50 Year Club dinner on the Friday and a BBQ for all six classes by the River Corrib on Saturday night.

The reunion celebrations began on Friday afternoon when the 50 Year Club/Cumann Caoga Bliain were welcomed back to campus for a luncheon in the Aula Maxima in the Quadrangle. Following lunch, a presentation of "1958 - the year that was" was made by local historian Peadar O’Dowd, focusing on some of the highlights of that year, locally and nationally.

The 50 Year Club were taken on a bus tour of the campus which showcased the many new developments on campus since the 1950s. NUI Galway has grown dramatically since 1958 when there were 175 graduates. The equivalent number this year will be in the region of 4,700. The day culminated with a reception and celebration dinner at the Galway Bay Hotel.

On Saturday, at 7pm, the Annual Reunion BBQ for those celebrating 50, 40, 30, 25, 20 and 10 years since graduation took place in the Students’ Union Bar and Áras na Mac Léinn, overlooking the River Corrib.

Reunion weekend came to a close for the Class of 1958 on Sunday with a mass held in memory of deceased graduates in the Chapel of St. Columbanus on campus. This was followed by a farewell lunch in the Quadrangle.

Mr. JB Terrins, Director of Alumni Relations, encourages graduates to come along to Reunion Weekend 2009, "The reunion is a wonderful opportunity to revisit the University, renew old acquaintances and see how NUI Galway has developed over the years. Many people have already booked their places with graduates returning to Galway from across the globe for this event. This annual event is driven by demand from our alumni, who want the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends."

This year's edition of
Cois Coiribe, the magazine for alumni, staff, students and friends of NUI Galway, will be circulated in October. The Alumni Office is trialling an interactive version of the magazine which will be sent to all alumni for whom we have an email address.
If you would like to opt in to receive a hard copy of the magazine, please email the Alumni Office on
alumninuigalway.ie by Friday, 5th September.

The University is keen to re-establish contact with all alumni who may have lost touch with their
alma mater.

A 'Lost Alumni' listing for alumni from the reunion years 1968, 1978, 1983, 1988 and 1998 is currently being piloted. We would encourage you to forward this to your classmates and if you recognise any other NUI Galway graduates with whom you are still in touch, please contact us at
alumninuigalway.ie with their details or encourage them to contact the Office. If you find your own name on the list, you can update your details using our
update address facility.

If your class is not listed below and you would like to help us in updating address details, please contact the Alumni Office and we will forward a list of 'lost alumni' from your class.

1998

1988

1983

1978

1968

HEA/IRCHSS Survey

The following notice is included upon request from the HEA and relates to graduates of humanities and/or social sciences.

Dear graduate,

As part of the Foresight in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (FAHSS) Exercise that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) are currently undertaking, we are conducting a short survey of graduates in these disciplines to find out about career paths pursued and how these relate to individuals’ higher education. The survey represents an important part of the Exercise, which aims to assess the contribution of the arts, humanities and social sciences to Ireland’s society and economy; to review these disciplines’ strengths and weaknesses; and to chart a course for their future development.

If you would prefer to receive a hard copy of the survey to fill out please email fahsshea.ie.

Please be assured that all responses will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and will only be used for purposes pertaining to the FAHSS Exercise.

Whilst we hope that the survey will be simple to complete, please email
fahsshea.ie if you experience any difficulties or have any questions. We would be grateful if you could respond to the survey by Friday 19th September 2008 at the latest.

Keep up-to-date with all NUI Galway alumni news by visiting
www.nuigalway.ie/alumni. If you would like to unsubscribe from Alumni Links please email
alumninuigalway.ie with 'unsubscribe' in the subject box.